2005

“Each of us knows that to experience great personal pain and then to emerge from it leaves us changed. However, one person, alone, may not find the strength to hope from the depths of that darkest place. …A community can experience the suffering along with the individual…Both the individual and the community will then be transformed. If we can begin to move forward from a place of great pain, if even through our pain we can begin to plant the seed of something living, we will grow leaves more verdant and roots deeper than could have been otherwise possible.”

Acts of hope, planting of seeds, such simple acts may transform individuals and the world. This past year the Amy Adina Fund awarded 21 grantees a total of $24,000 for acts of hope in places including Israel, Dubai, Nicaragua, Ethiopia, and Thailand. The Fund gives many small grants rather than a few large ones, to enable many to participate in activities that “grow leaves more verdant,” that repair the world. Since its inception, the Fund has awarded 335 grants totaling $220,000. The ripple effect of these awards not only transforms grantees and those with whom they work, but allows us the opportunity to “begin to move forward,” to provide a vision of care, justice, and righteousness.

Once again, contributions are fully tax deductible; the Fund is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. 100% of your contribution becomes part of the endowment base to provide grants to applicants; the Schulman family covers all administrative costs to maintain and develop the Fund. You support an ever growing number of applicants through your annual contribution, other gifts honoring special occasions and life cycle events, and your estate planning gifts. Thank you.

The Fund remains unique in that it awards grants to individuals rather than organizations. Grantees volunteer or intern in progressive social action projects of their own choosing. Applicants must submit a letter of acceptance from their project, and a proposed plan as to how they will educate/encourage peers to partici-pate in similar social action. Applications may be downloaded from our web site.

The Earth was knocked off the regularity of its orbit this past year by an earthquake resulting in a devastating tsunami. The Fund provided a grant to Nava Y. to participate in a Rutgers U.tsunami rebuilding program. In her personal statement, Nava described herself as an observant Jew who keeps both kosher and Shabbat, wanting to demonstrate that it is possible to be part of an inter-national volunteer program and “remain observant and bring to life Jewish values.”

She sent this report after her return: “I helped build a community that was truly in need of support and assistance… I learned so much about loss, strength, dedication, suffering, corruption. I witnessed some of the most evil and most outstanding aspects of human nature… Along with building homes for the Laem Pom community, I also cleaned several beaches from rubble and debris which consistently washes onto the shore… I taught English, as well, in a school that often goes without English teachers; some periods the students sit patiently because no teacher at all is available to teach the class.”

“I don't work on an ordinary construction site. As fate would have it, the volunteer project is rebuilding a village that is suffering from a very ugly land dispute. Since the tsunami, a large company has been using Mafia tactics of threats and bribes to try and take the land to build a beach-front resort…

Although her project left the community due to the dispute, Nava stayed and described four dimensions of her work: “1) Build people's houses so they can return to their village from the temporary shelter. 2) Show support for the people.. providing security against threats through the presence of international volunteers. 3) Rebuild their community so it will be harder for them to get kicked off their land. 4) Raise awareness of the situation so money will come into the village and ensure completion of the {villagers'} construction project…

“Helping people requires thought and research and it's complicated but that doesn't excuse me from the work. It isn't enough to simply act on an impulse to do good, but with careful consideration an impulse can be transformed into a life saving aid.”

An update from a previous grantee: “It is a matter of some embarrassment that I have been incommunicado these past few years. I graduated the Jewish Theological Seminary Ph.D. program in medieval Jewish studies in May, 2002, and landed a teaching position at Brandeis University as Assistant Professor of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies…I am now mid-way through my third year and am finding it to be a wonderful place to teach, and conduct my research…

When I think back on my years in graduate school, I often reminisce about the summer I “took off” to volunteer at the Arab village Nahef in the Galilee. It was important for me to see that my historical interest in Arab-Jewish relations had such resonance in the modern world. Although a great deal has changed in the Middle East since then, much of it for the worse, I still remain a passionate if cautious advocate of advancing an agenda of peace and reconciliation… I hope this contribution will help you continue the important work you do with the Amy Adina Schulman Memorial Fund… Sincerely, Jonathan Decter”

Ellie L. volunteered in Ethiopia for the year, motivated “by the problems of drought, famine and AIDS that the country has been dealing with for years.” She taught English to second through fourth graders, “the poorest of the poor kids in a rural school about 50 kilometers outside Addis Ababa. They have almost nothing and the school is really their only hope for a better life in the future. It is run by an Ethiopian NGO, the Ethiopian Children's Fund Village. I teach with two other volunteers; we are in the process of fund-raising to build a volunteer house on school property. We are also setting up a volunteer program so there will continue to be foreign volunteers in the future… I produced an informational video and slide show about the history of the school, the immense positive impact it has had on the students and town, as well as the vision the school has for the future.

“On top of teaching, I volunteer in Mother Theresa's Home for the Destitute and Dying where I help change bandages and just talk with the patients and medical volunteers. I also volunteer at the Jewish Compound in Addis, the center for the Ethiopian Jewish community, with a meal program, a school, and services (run by NACOEJ.) I have also taught clowning classes to children here."

Having returned to the U.S., Ellie has been fund-raising and speaking to many groups about her experiences. “I hope to teach that even something small can change lives. I want to show how people who live privileged lives can use their privilege to create positive change in the world.”

Difficult and complex relationships continue between Israeli bureaucratic immigration institutions and the absorption of Ethiopian and Russian (ex-Soviet) immigrants. Allison S., completed the fieldwork for her senior honors thesis in political science at the U. of Michigan, by living in two different absorption centers to uncover ways to improve this process. Her thesis advisor described her questionnaires and her research methods, the novel dimension of her work with its emphasis on ethnicity and race, her facility with Hebrew, and concluded, “This is a project and a researcher worth supporting.”

In addition to interviewing Ethiopian and Russian immigrants, Allison met with seven officials from the Jewish Agency and government absorption offices and observed over fifteen hours of meetings between officials and immigrants. Discussing the inter-view results, she commented on the striking differences in long-tern and short-term absorption. “While Ethiopians do not have much trouble upon their initial arrival, after many years they still need government assistance to solve basic absorption problems. {Russian}immigrants have a very difficult time their first few years, but in time are fully absorbed into Israeli society.” Her thesis will examine factors in the absorption process seemingly influenced by race and ethnicity, and detail possible change strategies.

Ethan and Eben Kostbar were two early grantees. Their father wrote recently, “Thanks for your note {annual report.} I feel as if I know your family through the years and your web site…What you are doing for so many children is wonderful and thru that work we all have gotten to know Amy. Thank you and bless you.”

In Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) there was an educational upheaval, the first Middle East conference on “Women as Global Leaders: Educating the Next Generation.” Rachel B., an Amy Adina grantee, was an invited as a student participant. At the time, Rachel and other Tufts students published a research journal, a compilation of Middle East related research by students. “Parts of my paper on Israeli-Palestinian coexistence building initiatives will be in the journal, as well as some of the work I have done on Turkish-Israeli relations thus far.”

The Dubai conference brought together prominent female world leaders and female students “to discuss issues pertinent to women's leadership in the international arena. The conference included lectures and presentations, dialogue and discussion, simulations and workshops… I am passionately committed to gaining a deeper understanding of the Middle East - its cultures, conflicts, histories, and politics, in order to effectively work toward bridging the gap between leaders, between peoples, and between societies in the region… I believe that positive change will only occur through human interaction and understanding of the other.”

Julie V. organized a 2005 Alternate Spring Break program in Nicaragua spon-sored by Stanford U. Hillel and the American Jewish World Service. As Social Action Chair Julie also co-founded an interfaith dialogue student group. Her advisor wrote that additionally she “..spearheaded a Hunger Banquet aimed towards educating the campus community. She invited a speaker from Mazon, and included campus hunger organiza-tions to ensure that students had resources to act locally after the evening was through.”

Julie wrote about the “opportunity to live and work alongside community members of the Condega Women's Network, a Nicaraguan grassroots organization committed to providing counseling, legal advice, psychological support, and training to women, especially those who are victims of maltreatment and sexual abuse…In preparation for this, {she developed a course for}students will study topics such as liberation theology, human rights, and the current and historical political situation in Nicaragua…The project my group will perform with our host NGO will revolve around sustainable development.”

This past year Erin S. studied and worked in Israel with the OTZMA program. She lived in an immigrant absorption center in Beer Sheva and then in Netivot, “a small town with a mixed population comprised of Ethiopians, Russians, Moroccans, as well as religious and secular Jews. I volunteer full time in the schools and after school programs. I'm having a wonderful experience in Israel!”

By coincidence another Erin, Erin G., wrote to us a while back. “I received a grant from your foundation which enabled me to participate in Project OTZMA, a one year community service program in Israel. Upon my return, I worked at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism. {I then became}a legislative associate at the National Council of Jewish Women, continuing my work as an advocate for social justice!

Enclosed please find a donation to the Amy Adina Schulman Memorial Fund. Now that I am in a position where I am able to give back, I am happy to do so. Thank you again for your generous support for my previous experience in Israel; I hope this contribution will help you as you continue helping others.”